To TreeHugger : ” If (the) Kyoto Protocol dies at COP17 climate talks, so does our climate “. This article reminds us that the next round of UNFCC climate talks will start in less than two months in Durban, South Africa.

It also reminds us that it is the only law we have on a global level on climate and that even if the United States are still not part of the process it is working (quite) well as developed nations decreased their emissions since 1990.

Due to end in 2012, the Kyoto Protocol might not be perfect but really got us moving on climate and energy issues. Read more →

Having read the full article, I can say it is indeed a fantastic reflection showing that unless we REALLY start thinking about climate and energy in our daily lives and we REALLY demand CHANGE from our governments, NOTHING will be done.

America is both on fire and under water at the same time, other dramatic and extreme weather events have been witnessed this year and last one. Peak oil and coal are looming. When will we heed the calls ?

In a bit more than 15 little years, the entire world may face declining coal production. This was the subject of a post on The Oil Drum. This is a huge problem as to date it accounts for 41 percent of the world’s electricity (IEA 2010).

” World coal production is dominated by China. China’s coal production is projected to peak in 2027 with a peak production level of 5.1 billion tons. World (excluding China)’s coal production is projected to peak in 2027.“

This is not entirely new as I wrote a post two years ago stating that peak coal could occur as early as 2025. What are we waiting for to push efficiency and alternatives ? China is doing it already, but will it be enough ?

Further to the Fukushima catastrophe in March, Japan has been decreasing in a massive way its electricity consumption. Indeed, only 17 nuclear reactors are bringing power to the grids out of the 54 existing ones. As the New York Times notes :

” Preliminary figures indicate that regions under conservation mandates have been able to meet reduction targets and even exceed them, providing a possible model of conservation’s potential when concerns about global warming are mounting. “

” In the Tokyo area, the government is pushing to cut electricity use by 15 percent between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays to prevent blackouts – and on Thursday, that target was met compared with last year.”Read more →

An article from Cleantechies pointed out that according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) liquefied coal may become an economically viable fuel option by 2015. Further to this, I left a comment :

” Just as we are thinking about solving the climate/energy equation by ditching coal, some are willing to put it in our car tanks… Shouldn’t we concentrate on REAL alternatives instead ? Ones that actually cut our emissions and pollutions ? ”

To the New York Times green blog : ” China’s ravenous appetite for energy puts the country at risk of reaching a point of “peak coal,” when demand for coal will outstrip domestic production capacity, a growing number of experts believe.”

” China now consumes approximately 47 percent of coal produced globally but by most estimates has just 14 percent of global coal reserves. Meanwhile, demand has risen by about 10 percent per year for the last decade “

I wrote recently that global coal reserves may be overestimated. At the time, the data I was quoting noted that coal reserves could be overestimated by 23 %. Now a new study show that coal supply could start decreasing by as early as 2025.

With peak oil also due to occur in the very next years our two main energy sources will soon be depleted. Solution have to be implemented quickly to prevent the worse from occurring.

Coal is a critical resource as many countries like China, India, the United States, many Eastern European nations or Germany get more than half of their electricity from it. Read more →